


Strawberry Kisses

by witchy_alien



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Time Skips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 02:14:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29975838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/witchy_alien/pseuds/witchy_alien
Summary: Tadashi's view on his and Kei's relationship at the age of 12, 16, and 17.Kei's view on their relationship at 25.
Relationships: Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 6
Kudos: 61





	Strawberry Kisses

**Author's Note:**

> I heard [Strawberry](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lML1XA9JXSQ) by Paul Baribeau and could only think TsukkiYama

**17\. Haircut**

Tadashi continued to run his hand through his hair. He stood outside Kei’s house feeling antsy. He made sure his school outfit was smoothed out. His entire body felt like it was shaking, although that could have just been from the chilly morning. 

Kei walked out of his house and gave a quick, “Good morning,” without looking up. 

Tadashi could feel his heart in his throat. 

Kei’s mom followed behind with a forgotten book. She paused when she saw Tadashi, letting out a small gasp. 

“Your hair,” She said. 

That caught Kei’s attention. He turned to his mom and then to Tadashi. Both of the Tsukishimas stared at him. 

“It looks cute!” Kei’s mom smiled. 

Kei took the book from her hands and walked ahead. Tadashi bowed and thanked her before jogging up to meet Kei’s pace. 

Tadashi walked slightly behind Kei. He watched the back of his head. Tadashi played with the ends of his own hair while looking at Kei’s. He couldn’t remember a time when his hair was shorter than Kei’s. 

Kei’s mom said it looked cute. But that wasn’t the Tsukishima he was trying to get the attention of. Tadashi knew that he was pouting over it.

Kei was silent as he walked. Tadashi thought about reaching out to grab his attention. He could yell out his name and ask him directly what he thought. 

That was ridiculous. He could never. 

‘Look at me,’ Tadashi thought.

Suddenly, Kei stopped. Tadashi startled.

“Kei?” 

“It looks nice.”

Tadashi peeked over to try and get a glimpse of Kei’s face, “What was that?” 

Kei turned his head slightly away from Tadashi’s view. The tips of his ears were pink. 

Tadashi smiled. He tugged on Kei’s sleeve, “I didn’t hear you,” he teased, “what did you say?” 

Kei tugged his arm away and walked faster. Tadashi chuckled to himself. 

Kei, still turned away, reached out his hand for Tadashi to grab. He took it, feeling Kei’s slender calloused fingers against his hand. They were cold compared to Tadashi’s. His fingers were much longer than Tadashi’s as well. Tadashi squeezed his hand against Kei’s. He wondered how his hands felt to Kei. 

Kei squeezed his hand in response. 

Tadashi stared down at their hands. He smiled, feeling his stomach turn in the way it did when he was alone with Kei. 

“You look,” Kei’s voice was low. Nobody was around, but he still glanced to look for people, “cute.” 

They stopped walking. Tadashi looked up at Kei who looked back. Kei bit his bottom lip, holding back an obvious smile. 

Tadashi blushed. He nudged Kei’s shoulder, “What was that? I look…” He rested his head against Kei’s arm. 

Kei shrugged out of Tadashi’s grasp. He walked quickly ahead, mumbling to himself. 

Tadashi laughed, “Kei, I didn’t hear you!”

“Tadashi,” He turned around to completely face him, “you’re,” he paused, “you’re unbelievable.” His face was completely flushed. 

“You’re cute,” Tadashi smiled. 

They didn’t speak for a moment. After a moment Kei turned back around, “C’mon, we’re going to be late.” He reached his hand out for Tadashi to grab again. 

Tadashi could feel his entire face heat up, “Coming!” 

**12\. Crybaby**

Tadashi and Kei tossed the ball back and forth as they talked. Kei told him in full detail about the game he went to with his brother. Tadashi quietly listened, responding when it seemed appropriate. 

Lately, Tadashi had become more and more worried about what Kei thought of him. He wasn’t sure why, but it felt like he had to walk around eggshells with him. Any wrong word could potentially end something good. 

Not literally. 

It was an irrational fear. Tadashi had many. Kei had told him that he was afraid of too many things. 

There was something that tugged and pulled at the bottom of his stomach everytime Kei looked at him. Tadashi hated it. 

The ball hit Tadashi in the face. He stumbled back onto the ground. He looked up with tears in his eyes and tried to blink them away. His face stung.

“Were you even listening?” Kei asked. 

Tadashi sniffed, “Sorry, Tsukki.” 

Kei picked up the ball and waited for him to stand back up. 

Tadashi could feel Kei’s eyes on him. He wished that he could just sink into the ground. He was always embarrassing himself around Kei. It was so frustrating. The thought of it made the tears fall from his eyes. 

Quickly, he tried wiping the tears away. No matter how hard he rubbed his eyes, more tears came out. 

When he peeked through his hand he noticed that Kei was no longer there. It would make sense that he would leave a loser like Tadashi. Nobody wanted to hang around the twelve year old that still cried over getting hit. 

The thought alone didn’t do anything to stop the tears. Tadashi could feel the ache that came from crying too much. It pulled at his gut and made it hard to breathe. 

He felt something cold against his arm. Looking up, Tadashi saw Kei holding a drink in his hand. He nudged it against Tadashi again. Tadashi got the message and took the drink. 

Kei sat down next to him. He had a drink of his own that he quietly sipped on. Kei waited patiently for Tadashi to calm down. 

By the time they finished their drinks Tadashi felt better. He could finally breathe again. His eyes felt tired and puffy, but the pain in his chest was gone. 

“Did you wanna come over for dinner?” Kei asked. His cheeks had a light tint of pink on them. Probably from playing out in the sun all afternoon. 

Tadashi smiled, “Yeah.” 

They waited until the sun started to set before walking back.

**16\. Jealous**

Tadashi kicked the volleyball that got in the way. Hinata had to jump out of the way to dodge it. He couldn’t help it. The anger over the last few days had built up and he was ready to take it all out. Kei had made him mad. Just looking at him made Tadashi want to scream. 

It wasn’t entirely Kei’s fault. That made Tadashi even more angry. He felt like it was mostly him at this point.

Kei had been getting an influx of confessions and letters. Valentine’s day was coming up and of course Kei got a lot of attention. He was tall, smart, and cool. 

It wasn’t the letters that got him, though. It was the rumor. Just a single rumor that spread after Kei was seen talking to Yachi behind the gym. The rumor that Kei and Yachi were dating. 

Tadashi didn’t think it was true. But, lately, with the way Kei had been acting around him had been suspicious. Kei hadn’t been coming over to his house as much. He had left earlier than they usually do for school without telling Tadashi. He was seen spending a lot of time with Yachi. 

If Tadashi couldn’t trust his best friend then who could he trust?

It was all so irritating. 

It frustrated Tadashi. And he knew the exact reason why. He figured any “normal” high school boy would be upset about a cute girl hanging around their best friend. They wouldn’t be jealous that the girl was getting more attention than them. 

Tadashi was jealous. 

Tadashi wanted Kei’s attention. 

He felt nauseous thinking about it. He couldn’t just walk up to Kei and say, “Hey! Pay attention to me!” 

He wanted to. 

Kei walked into the gym with Yachi. She was talking to him, but Tadashi couldn’t hear what was being said. Kei made a comment and Yachi laughed. 

Tadashi was seriously going to puke. 

He grabbed his bag and gave a rushed, “I’m not feeling good,” before bolting out the door. 

He ran all the way home. He felt like a coward. He was a coward. 

Tadashi locked himself in his bedroom. He turned on music and rolled onto his stomach. At some point he fell asleep. He woke up to a soft knock on his door. 

Thinking it was his mom, he went to unlock it. In his still sleepy state he barely registered Kei standing in the doorway. 

“You haven’t even changed out of your uniform,” Kei frowned. 

Tadashi suddenly felt very awake, “What’s it matter to you?”

“Why have you been so pissy lately?” 

Tadashi groaned and rubbed his face. “I’m fine,” He pushed past Kei to get to the bathroom. 

When he was out Kei was still standing in his room. He stood with his arms crossed, looking a little out of place. They stared at each other in silence. 

“Is this really about the Yachi thing?” Kei asked. 

Tadashi was the first to look away. 

“It’s a stupid rumor,” Kei sounded tired. He probably was after practice. 

Tadashi could feel all the anger build up again, “I know it is!” His entire face turned red out of embarrassment. He couldn’t believe he was being so childish over this. 

They were quiet again. Kei sat down on the floor and sighed. Tadashi followed, sitting on his bed. 

“Look,” Kei pushed his glasses up, “if you want to date her then just ask. The worst she can say is no.” 

“I don’t want to date her.” 

More silence. 

“Then what’s the big deal?”

“The deal is,” Tadashi couldn’t stop his mouth, “you keep getting confessions and treat them like nothing. You haven’t told me that you don’t want to walk to school with me- and that’s fine- but tell me so I don’t look dumb when I go to your house.” 

He knew that he was raising his voice, but he didn’t care. He continued, “You’ve been spending more time with Yachi during the school day, which is fine. But, you ignore how the rumors might be affecting her. And I just,” Tadashi lowered his voice, “I just want to not have to question these rumors.” 

“Yamaguchi,” Kei said. 

He didn’t respond.

“Tadashi.” 

He finally looked at Kei. 

“I don’t care about those girls and I don’t care about those rumors,” Kei explained, “Yachi doesn’t care either.” 

“How can you not care?” Tadashi heard the anger in his own voice. 

Kei didn’t seem phased by it. He looked to the floor and then back at Tadashi, “Why do you care.”

“Tsukki, I,” Tadashi looked Kei in the eyes, “I like you.” 

Kei’s face was unreadable. Tadashi was horrified. He couldn’t believe the words rolled out of his mouth so easily. At this rate Kei would never speak to him again. It must feel weird to hear that come from your best friend’s mouth. 

Kei began to stand up and Tadashi freaked out. 

“I’m so sorry!” Tadashi held him by the shoulders. He loosened his grip, “I didn’t mean it.” 

Kei stopped his hand, “You didn’t mean it.” He repeated. 

Tadashi squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head away. He wanted to disappear, “I’m sorry.” 

He felt Kei’s hand on his chin. He kept his eyes shut and turned his head. 

“Again,” Kei’s voice was barely above a whisper. 

Tadashi didn’t know what he meant. He chanced a look. What he saw was Kei closer to his face than he thought. He quickly closed his eyes again. 

“Tadashi,” Kei said, “say it again.” 

“Say wha—” 

Kei kissed him. 

Tadashi’s brain couldn’t catch up. He didn’t know if he should scream and push him away, or just accept what was happening. He felt foggy. This couldn’t be real. 

Kei pulled away and Tadashi followed. He kissed Kei again just to make sure that it was real. 

“I like you,” Tadashi said between kisses. “Kei,” Tadashi breathed out, “I like you so much.” 

The kissing was messy and unpracticed. It made sense considering neither one of them had done it before. That didn’t stop them from continuing. 

Kei got onto the bed with Tadashi. He wasn’t as heavy as Tadashi thought he’d be. He wondered if Kei wasn’t putting his full weight on him. He wished he did. Tadashi wanted to feel Kei all around him. He wanted all of Kei’s attention. 

“Kei,” He wrapped his arms around him, “say it too.” 

“I like you,” Kei kissed his cheek, ending the makeout session. 

Kei looked out of place. He awkwardly moved off of Tadashi and laid next to him. They laid on their backs staring up at the ceiling. 

“What does this mean?” Tadashi asked. 

“It means you don’t have to worry about those girls.” 

Tadashi laughed. He felt silly all of a sudden. He guessed that was true. 

“Wait,” Tadashi sat up, “why were you practically avoiding me, though?” 

“I’ve been helping Yachi with math in return for her helping me with something.” 

“Helping you with what?” 

Kei pulled Tadashi back down, “It doesn’t matter now.” He kissed him instead of explaining more. 

The sensible part of Tadashi was thinking, “What’s that supposed to mean?” While the Tadashi that was making out with his best friend probably now boyfriend threw all of that in the back of his mind.

**25\. Tsukishima Kei**

Tadashi laid on the ground in front of the fan. He groaned, “Kei, it’s so freaking hot.” 

Kei just came home from work to Tadashi like this. He was only wearing shorts and had an ice pack on his forehead. 

He stared down at him, “Saying it won’t make it any less hot.” 

Tadashi groaned again, “Let’s move. Let’s find a place that has AC.” 

Kei nudged Tadashi’s foot out of his way. He paused before opening the bathroom door, “Want to get ice cream?” 

Tadashi sat straight up. Kei was startled by how fast that caught his attention. He couldn’t help but laugh to himself. 

“Put clothes on and we’ll go.” 

Tadashi rushed to get dressed. Kei was sure it was the fastest he’s ever seen Tadashi get ready to go anywhere. 

They walked to an ice cream shop nearby. Kei left his hand in between them. He enjoyed when Tadashi’s hand brushed against his. It was subtle enough that anyone else would have seen it as an unaware movement.

Kei knew Tadashi long enough to know that it was completely intentional. 

“You’re buying, right?” Tadashi was smiling the entire way. 

“No,” Kei teased, “I just invited you out with the intention of having you pay.” 

Tadashi stuck his tongue out at him. 

Kei had the urge to grab it, or to kiss him. There were too many people around to do either. He hid a laugh behind his hand. 

“Why are you making fun of me?” Tadashi pouted. “You’re the one that asked me out.” 

“I did,” Kei smiled. 

Kei watched Tadashi order for the both of them. He already knew what Kei would like. It always took Kei by surprise when he would do things like that. 

Tadashi was so interesting. He just knew Kei. He knew Kei better than Kei knew himself sometimes. There was a time where Tadashi said that he wasn’t sure what Kei was ever thinking. But Kei didn’t think that was true. Not then and not now. 

Tadashi ate his ice cream with a smile. He talked about his day and asked Kei about his. They watched the sunset through the window of the cafe. 

“Let’s get bbq!” Tadashi suddenly said. 

“Are you paying for that?” 

“You’re the one that has been working overtime. You probably have more than me.” 

Kei frowned, “I’ve been saving.”

“For what?” Tadashi leaned in. 

“Let’s just go,” Kei stood up. 

Tadashi was quick to follow, “Unfair, Kei.” 

He took Tadashi out to bbq. They sat close to each other, but Kei didn’t mind. Nobody around bothered to look their way. Under the table, Kei rubbed his thumb on the back of Tadashi’s hand. Tadashi had pushed his knee closer to Kei. 

“Kei,” Tadashi whispered, “I love you.” 

“Yeah?” 

Tadashi grinned. 

The walk home was slow. Tadashi was quiet. It was the only sign that he was tired. He stumbled over his untied shoelace. Kei caught him. 

“Seriously? What are you five?” Kei rolled his eyes, feeling tired himself. Before Tadashi could respond, Kei knelt down to help tie his shoe. 

“You’re so sweet when you wanna be,” Tadashi ran his hand through Kei’s hair. 

Kei looked up at him. Tadashi moved his fingers to his chin. Tadashi had a weird effect on him. It made his stomach turn in a way that he used to find annoying. 

“You’re so handsome,” Tadashi said. 

Kei blushed. He hadn’t bothered to get back up. Instead, he let Tadashi continue to run his fingers on his cheek. Kei blinked up at Tadashi who stared down so lovingly. 

“Let’s get married.” 

Tadashi pulled his hand away and stared.

Kei stood up. He could feel his heart going crazy in his chest. Kei waited for a response. 

“Again,” Tadashi’s face was unreadable. 

“What?” 

Tadashi stepped closer, “Again.” 

Kei caught on and smiled, “Marry me.” 

Tadashi surprised him by grabbing his hand. They were close enough to home that they got there in less than five minutes.

Before the door was even shut they had their arms wrapped around each other. They kicked off their shoes and walked backwards, stumbling onto the couch closest to the doorway. Tadashi sat on top of Kei, kissing him. 

He pulled away and smiled at Kei. He licked his lips before kissing him again. Kei tightened the grip on Tadashi’s waist. He could sit like this, kissing Tadashi, for the rest of the evening. 

It was just something Tadashi was able to do to him. He made him feel like he had the entire world in his hands. As long as Tadashi was in Kei’s life that’s all that mattered. 

By the end of the night they made it to the bed. They faced each other and laid in silence. Tadashi rubbed Kei’s cheek. Kei turned his head to kiss his hand. 

“I’ll marry you,” Tadashi said. 

“Good,” Kei chuckled, “I was worried for a moment there.”

Tadashi rolled his eyes, “I just wanted to say it out loud.” 

Kei knew what he meant. He needed to hear it spoken into the world. He needed to let it be said out loud for it to be true. 

“I love you,” Kei leaned in to kiss him. 

Tadashi smiled. He smiled in the way that never needed words for Kei. It was the smile that reminded him of the countless number of times he was able to make Tadashi smile. It was a reminder that he would get to continue to make Tadashi smile. 

Kei couldn’t be happier.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> [twt](https://twitter.com/witchy_alien)  
> [insta](https://www.instagram.com/witchy.alien/)


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